Discusses negative/double meanings conveyed by eight statements often heard in preschool and elementary classrooms. Statements include: "Mouths shut, do your work, and don't look at your neighbor's paper"; "Sit in that time-out chair until you can learn to get along"; "Don't get smart with me"; and "I don't need lesson plans-I teach pre-K." (KB)

Presents a model for using guidance in mild and serious conflict situations in the preschool classroom. Describes how classic conflict management techniques are used to make both parties equal contributors to a peaceful settlement through mediation, including guidance talks, self-removal, and class meetings. Discusses use of comprehensive guidance…

Describes the kinds of literacy knowledge ("knowing in doing") preschool children may express during play. Provides evidence of literacy understanding, strategies, and skills as children negotiate routines, roles, and rules in play. Discusses how literacy in play differs from the literacy learning later demanded in school, and includes suggestions…

Explores how one first-grade teacher incorporates dance experiences to support lessons across the curriculum. Describes the exploration of basic dance elements; creation of simple dances to support lessons in math, science, and language arts; the study of movement in nature; creation of a dance story; and use of the dance story to produce a…

Preschool findings are summarized from a longitudinal study examining how parents and teachers support language skill development in children from low-income families from preschool through high school. The study identified three dimensions of experiences during preschool/kindergarten related to later literacy success: exposure to varied…

Describes Pillow Talk as a ritual in which teachers talk in a relaxed and natural way with individual children in the preschool classroom as naptime begins. Suggests that daily one-to-one interaction with children can yield numerous insights about children's language and emotions and provide effective communication and rich language-learning…

Compares reading aloud and telling stories as ways to share literature with young children and support language and literacy learning. Describes how story telling can help children develop critical and active listening skills, and how retelling stories encourages children to create their own stories and later write and illustrate their stories.…

Discusses how story enactments can be used in preschool and kindergarten classrooms to allow children to take on the role of storymaker and to provide experiences for children to draw upon as they learn to read. Offers tips for individual story writing and suggestions for group story telling. Asserts that a variety of storymaking experiences…

Describes the curriculum of the public television program "Between the Lions" (BTL), a series modeling behaviors and skills that foster early literacy. Shows how BTL incorporates developmentally appropriate early literacy practices. Highlights teachers' comments illustrating how BTL is being used in different classrooms and how it connects with…

Describes use of the public television program "Between the Lions" in one kindergarten classroom to help develop literacy skills. Reports that 75 to 85 percent of children were engaged by the program, with the most attentive children being those who understood some letter-sound connections and enjoyed trying to read along. Most of the children who…

Asserts that early childhood professionals have a special obligation to remind parents and themselves about the impact of violence on children and about parent and adult responsibilities regarding television viewing. Challenges early childhood professionals to become personally involved in disparaging television and movie violence and act to…

Contends that strategies commonly used to persuade decisionmakers to direct more resources to early childhood education are not effective. Presents the Stand for Children's strategy, an intensive organizing approach used over the past 3 years in Oregon, Idaho, Tennessee, and Maryland. Describes efforts of Stand for Children to reinstate children's…

Delineates newly released revised standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children for college and university programs that prepare early childhood professionals. Describes the standards revision process and offers highlights of the revised standards. Suggests that challenges to meeting standards relate to access,…

Many individuals who work with young children between birth and age 8 assume that literacy activities must be planned and executed as elaborate, formal lessons. The increasing pressure seeping through national accountability measures and the renewed focus on early literacy is trickling down to this age group. The Division for Early Childhood of…

Early movement successes for young children are related to performing activities of daily living without assistance or with minimum assistance, recreational opportunities, and overall health wellness, growth, and development. As children are provided with frequent opportunities to participate in everyday fun and engaging physical activities, they…